Friday, July 18, 2008

Doesn't Get It

From the comments:

oh my god, quit fucking whining and crying about watches being short. you are a fucking mental midget if you think its ever going to change. "do more with less" has been the credo in private industry for years, if not decades. ill break it down for you morons at scc, accounting wise, the department is modernizing. put down the guns and ammo magazine and get educated. this blog sounds like a broken record, time to employ a few new writers.

Doing "more with less" isn't really feasible in the Police Department though, and if you think it is, you're the idiot. Fewer cops means less visibility, reduced enforcement, emboldened criminals. It also means more people willing to take their chances fleeing or even fighting.

The Department has been preaching modernization for at least a decade now and we still aren't seeing it. Remember the old arrest reports? Five pages with carbon paper. Now we "upgraded" to Automated Arrest. Have you ever arrested someone who decided to fight the police over a bullshit traffic warrant? When you finish the TRR's, IOD's, print the warrant, and submit all the charges, that Arrest report is about 14 pages long. And you need multiple copies. This is modernization?

Automated Case Reporting? AIRA is coming on line after 5 years and it's looking like the bugs are going to bog down this system worse than ever. CAPS? Full to overflowing. Ticket clerks? Still sorting by hand. 35th Street? Still can't find parking spaces when we go down there. Physical inventories of Department equipment? Pencil and paper to check numbers. The list is endless

Bureaucracy is alive and well in the Department. We aren't doing more with less - we're accomplishing less with way less.

44 Comments:

Anonymous said...

In 1999 when CHRIS first came online for Detective Sups, we were told that in 2 or 3 years the department would be paperless. I thought they meant not using paper but 9 years later I think they meant we are going to run out. We use more paper now then ever before. The automated arrest report printed out is ridiculous and the automated inventory is monstrous.

How fucking stupid is this asshole? Private industry? More with less? How many private industry people get their shit blown away while doing their job. What a fucking idiot. Whens the last time an attorney, an accountant a lawyer, a plumber was gunned down while doing their job. Totally different animal fuckhead!

that is something that mommies tell their little boys when their penises are too tiny.. It's outright dangerous to work with very little back-up out there.. I work the west-side everyday and don't feel safe making a stop, just my partner and I, on a car with 4 heads cuz the district is in a back log and there are absouletly no cars available. Your idea may be ideal for something like the environment.. use less paper, hence save more trees.. But this is the CHICAGO POLICE (AKA DEPOLICE) DEPARTMENT! We need better computers, better cars, braver recruits and bosses with balls.. Oh, I guess we could use more people who have a clue, and a lot less people just like you.

Do more with less does not apply to everyone. Certain exempts still have full staff. Every district has a full staff in CAPS, review office. Why have full duty officers working in civilian positions? Secretaries, clerks, copy room? Use civilians, retired or LD/CD officers. Yes officers can do with less personnel, but then less street stops, aggressive patrol. What happens to white shirts after a few years? How quickly they forget.

I remeber when we had paper everything and we didn't have half as much paper as we do now. Now there is paper for everything. IE: transport copies, arrst reports, warrants, name checks, inv. alerts. Isnt all this supposed to be computerized? Cant the CCSAO office pull up our reports? This automated stuff is killing more trees than ever.

A short while ago, Daley took free money from the Feds to upgrade the computer systems in Chicago and ensure they would be accessible by surrounding outside agencies as part of the homeland security package. Free money, provided in the end, your system is networked with other agencies to promote info sharing during crisis times.

This is why you see Daley telling everyone he's "modernizing". Because it's part of the Fed deal, and he has to make sure he reminds everyone that he's allegedly spending that money on equipment/programming that somehow serves to share info.

Plus it's the Daley way to look like he's the best at everything, the newest flash equipment, etc. Anything that he thinks makes Chicago look better in every way EXCEPT new infrastructure items such as radios, which are leased by the way, cars, etc.

He's publicly said the PODS take the place of 4 cops. After years of witnessing their value, I'm beginning to believe it. One POD takes the place of 4 of Chicago's finest, that is TODAY'S finest, who have joined the FUCK DALEY bandwagon and are doing their best to roast the fucker in his own shit. Put four of today's enlightened policemen on a corner and you get the same effect as a POD. Basically nothing.

Thank GOD for that! Daley should just buy 13,500 PODS and get rid of all of us then. And he should build the new PODS with the ability to red-light everybody for lights or even speeding.

That way, he can pay for what he wants in this city, a static entity that doesn't lay hands on anyone, who takes orders without thinking, and who generates nothing but more cash for Daley to shovel into his friends pockets, and some excess to pay the sanctions for disregarding the courts with his bullshit.

Either way, Daley wants you GONE. He's had nothing but disrespect for the police ever since he saw the kind of cop Townsend was, the ever asskissing sniveling slave to the Daley family since the little shortshit mayor was a kid. Why WOULD you have respect for police when your only observation of them is kissing your families stinkin' ass every day of the week and holding their coat at Sunday church.

I love a do nothing who claims were going like the private sector. Doing more with less.

If the CPD were like the private sector then J-Fed would be fired since he isn't doing more with less. If the CPD was like the private sector then I could negoitate my own salary by the amount of work I'm doing and get paid more than a desk dolly or back office coward who do nothing and bring in zero revenue.

I could go on and on but I won't. Those of us who work the street know what I'm talking about. Take a micro managing coward boss to come up with a line like this.

Let me guess boss you weren't in the military either. Its quite obvious. I know all the Marines and Army in Irag and Afgan would love a boss like you. Were better trained than the insurgents. The 10 of us can take out the 200 guys with rifles and elevated positions because we are going modern. All the technology in the world won't save you from pure numbers.

The taste showed that numbers count and now Bud Biliken is going to confirm that (to from to have that day off). When dealing with savages numbers matter not a clean uniform, modern technology, and being polite.

we are doing less with less! who is the goof that thought of this? WTF! yesterday I heard helicopter 2 on zone 6 they were airborne! great harry the hat was ready to do????? thanks also for the new cars and the nice contract sorry just a fantasy!

This is not the time or place for anyone to not realize how short the police department is. I attended a beat meeting in 16 the other night. A woman had a legitimate complaint of partying on the 5000 block of Ainslie street, and the "CAPS" officer running the meeting and a Sergeant present at the meeting made a negative comment about this woman to the other officers sitting at the table. Loud enough for everyone present to hear.

Perhaps, if CAPS can't handle problems a this troubled time of officer shortage, maybe they should be on the streets patrolling to see exactly what is happening in what used to be safe neighborhoods. She stood up after the officers would not listen to her and said this is a joke and left in the middle of a CAPS meeting.

Instead of telling her that they would send extra patrols in that area for a few weekends, they belittled her. She was treated like an offender.

I have been to several CAPS meetings and have never heard officers talk like they did to and about this woman. She has been to very few CAPS meetings and will probably never show up at one again.

I told her to call Pat Levar, the alderman, he would handle it. I hope she does.

I told her to call Pat Levar, the alderman, he would handle it. I hope she does.

I agree that if that had happends that its wrong. On the same tokken why lie to these people and tell em we have manpower, were going to fix this and work on that. everyone with a half of a brain cell knows caps is a joke and doesn't work. that person prob just save him/herself the 30 mins of their life by not listening to the caps office Bs.

I'm a street Sgt. in a bordering s/w side "Scumburb". I say "Scumburb" not because the town is scummy, on the contrary it's a pretty nice town tho it is changing. No it's because like you guys in the city we are treated like scum by the politicians. We are a necessary evil, and get second guessed at every turn. They constantly meddle in our operations, telling us how to do our job.They try to run the town like a corporation, cutting back on equipment & manpower. They only serve the "bottom line" and our safety & the safety of our residents it at risk everyday. I have my guys back every shift, I tell them the most important thing they can do is to go home safe at the end of their shift!Politicians are the same everywhere, and unfortunately it's the citizens that suffer the most.Hold your head high, for we are in an honorable profession, but also watch your back, there are bad people out there that want to do you harm!If your ever in my town (we have a large hospital trauma center hint, hint...) we will have your back too!!Be Safe my Brother's & Sister's ....

It sickens me to see what little Daley has done to such a proud and fine institution as the CPD. I can remember growing up in the City and thinking "How cool would it be to be a Chicago Cop?" Now, you couldn't pay me enough. All that rat-fuck mayor does is use the various departments as heat-sinks. They take all the high profile heat in order to take everybody's eye off of what he's really doing. He's fucking the entire City, one department at a time. He's going to make sure that everything his old man did to make this the "City that Works" is destroyed. All the while he's making sure that Chicago looks good to a bunch of a-holes like the International Olympic Committe. He purposefuly crippled the CPD in order to have a scape-goat for not getting the Olympics. Then he can cry to all his tree-hugger, bug-lover, pillow-biter friends about how horrible "those people" are. How quickly he forgets the cops that pulled his ass out of the fire when he was a shit-bag teenager getting in trouble! No sir, you couldn't pay me enough!

It seems no one gets it when referring to bosses! "He's a good guy! He's a jagoff! Majority of them moved up on the job by knowing someone or major asskissing! Police work = 1% maybe!These exempts are or will be getting major pensions and ridiculous sell back checks! Most of them have been at every "incident" putting in OT slips (usually this abuse started when they were tact sgts or Lts earlier in their career claiming to be on every arrest since Lee Harvey Oswald!) 6000+ hours and never missed a family get together, holiday etc. Not to mention all the "honorable mentions, dept commendations, etc. they never were involved in! It a close knit group and 99% of us are never allowed in. I knew I should have moved into the 11th or 19th wards years ago. Someone should do a CPD family tree showing how all of them are "connected!" Even today. Weis didn't touch the "anointed ones!" HDO LAPA etc.

Have you ever arrested someone who decided to fight the police over a bullshit traffic warrant? When you finish the TRR's, IOD's, print the warrant, and submit all the charges, that Arrest report is about 14 pages long. And you need multiple copies. This is modernization?

Good one, but don't forget the most important piece of paper in that bundle, the o.t. slip. 'Cause you know you're gonna be there for about 12-16 hrs, after your tour ended. That may or may not include the trip to the hospital. Good times.

SCC your absolutely correct about not being able to short change the amount of sworn officers we have. Its leadership that don't know how to utilize the manpower we have. Take James Special K Keating's Deployment of man power at the Taste. He had 400 more uniformed officers. But couldn't get it right.

Re: I told her to call Pat Levar, the alderman, he would handle it. I hope she does.

I am the police officer's wife that was belittled by the CAPS officer running the beat meeting and the Sergeant that made a rude comment about me.

When you are awaken by noisy neighbors every weekend, and your husband has to work 6 days a week, and is on days, it is very difficult for you and your family to get any sleep. My husband has to get up on weekends to go to work. He is an 59 yrs old and needs to get his sleep, so he can do his job. Every weekend this home on Ainslie St disturbs, not only us, but several other homes with small children, and other people that work weekends. They need to go into their home after midnight to make their noise, fight, and whatever else they want to do, the rest of us don't need to listen to it. Furthermore, car windows have been broken every weekend for over 2 months. Whether these 2 incidents are related I don't know and personally I don't care. My family needs their sleep on the weekends, as well as, the rest of the week. When my neighbors and I, even my husband, call the police they don't come out.

Stupidly, I thought that maybe they would do something for a weekend or 2, such as, drive by a couple of times after midnight....Me bad... I knew better. CAPS is a joke and a big waste of money and manpower. They are a show for the community to let naive people think the police are doing something. They should just tell the truth, the manpower is not there to answer nuisance calls in the evening and after midnight. It would be more honest and then maybe I could respect CAPS.

Any officer that is assigned to a car and works the street has my respect. I realize there is a shortage of police officers, but CAPS officers don't need to be degrading to citizens. They should be out in the community, finding out what is wrong with the neighborhoods. Ring a door bell speak with the citizens of the neighborhood. Walk around and greet the citizens in the district you work. After all, you have a cushy desk job, go out into the community as a CAPS officer and meet us. I know a lot of senior citizens would feel safer, if you did get up and out when you work during the afternoon and evening hours and introduced yourself, and explained what you do for their community and them. CAPS should be out in the community’s they serve, or be in a car after midnight to answer nuisance calls, such as mine.

I called Pat Levar's office and made a complaint. I also wrote a letter to Commander Riccio, with a copy to the mayor’s office and Pat Levar. I hope he gets it.

Thank you to the person that told me not to let it go, and contact the alderman.

Again, my thanks to the policemen and women that do work the streets. My heart goes out to you for doing a difficult job, especially during a difficult time for police officers. You have my utmost respect. I have lived with police officers my whole life. First my Dad and now my husband. Bless you all.

I am a retired PO and there are a lot of us in 016. The neighborhood is still very good. Anyway the other night I fell asleep on the front porch, it was about 0100 hrs. (I am Old) and was awakened by a neighbor. She said the she had called the police and that she heard something behind her house. She said that she called the police about 45 min. ago. and they have not arrived. So I checked for her and found nothing. She asked if she could come to me again if she needed the police? I went back to the porch and later a 016 District Sgt. Shows up for the job. I came down and he told me that they had no cars available for this job so they sent him. Now it may have been change time, I don’t know but I THINK there are no beat cars on midnights around my house. Fortunately I can carry a gun, and I do. I do not blame the guys in 016 I know it is not their fault. What about the rest of the people? They come to Me? For Help! They are in serious trouble, I can’t stay awake.

I came on this job before CAPS I know something about it. It was some kind of a deal between the mayor and Bill Clinton for federal money, I don’t know all the details about it but I am sure someone can research it. I saw a little of it before I left and the word was “don’t worry CAPS will handle it”. That was a long time ago but I don’t have to tell you about it.

Why do you need a check off sheet, when everything you did for an entire tour is in the computer?A & A's a paper time keeping system in 2008?Why do we need a mission sheet, when missions are in the computer??

It's not happening to them and they don't care about it happening to you.

They get reelected and that's why they don't care, because they believe they don't have to, because they get reelected.

Those 'working' CAPS are part and parcel of 'they'. The very few who actually care and are working CAPS aren't assigned to your area.

EVERY ward should have a candidate for the alderman's office challenging every incumbent in every election and what better candidate then an officer or retired officer?

Crooked politics has brought us to this sorry state of affairs and political action is the only way to straighten things out.

It's up to the citizens to take that action.

2011 will be here before you know it.

It's never too early to begin collecting petition signatures.

And it's never a waste of time to encourage EVERY citizen to REGISTER TO VOTE.

Corruption flourishes in an apathetic environment, much like anaerobic bacteria multiple in the absence of oxygen.

Until the citizens have had enough with choking on their own apathy, and generate enough oxygen (votes) to kill (vote out) the bacteria of corrupted, care-less politicians, you, and all the rest of us, will continue to be treated like shit.

Uh, excuse me, but I don't know ANYONE who works hard in 016, other than your new Commander.Zone One is the quietest zone among all of our radio frequencies.If you have a scanner, turn it on to that zone, even on a weekend, and listen to the silence.If there was any district that would allow a copper to go out and hunt for a bad guy on his own initiative without a constant stream of jobs being thrown at them, 016 and 017 would be the places.

and i'm sure it goes for the good part of 008 & 022. i explained what a 10-1 was to my family the other should i ever need one(and hope i never have to). b/c that will be the only way i would get help. other then that i know if i call for petty (but important things) the line is about 90 mins and by then i think we all know the story. i'm glad that i live by a few of my buddies, they are the call i make and its pretty much "holding the offender by that point" i understand 016 is way undermanned and its not 016's fault. its a shame we have nobody to count on while up here. tac/gangs are detailed out & beat cars are 99. caps is a waste and should be dispanded, i know that won't happen. this departments upper half should be ashamed of themselves of what it has come to and have nobody to blame but them. example "mopod" "dispersals" "anti -violance mission" "mission" "doc" " "safe summer" "caps"